The data and biostatisfics core will be responsible for providing data management, informafion technology and biostafisfical support to the reseach investigators of the proposed Tropical Medicine Center. Specifically, they will ensure data integrity and confidenfiality for the three projects proposed, and will perform all data aniyses related to these projects. This core has extensive experience conducfing sophisficated analyses related to many different epidemiological studies with varying methodoloy. Furthermore, they are experienced in capacity building and one component of this Center will be local capacity building, specifically related to data entry, data cleaning and data analysis. The Core Head (Rahme), and two Key Personnel (Casapia and Gyorkos) are all University Profesors that teach in Departments of Epidmiology and Biostafistics. The remainder of the core is also qualified for capacity building. The highly qualified data and biostafisitcs core that we propose will be an essenfial component to the success of this Center. It will be crucial in generating the results ofthe three research projects and filling the current resaerch gaps. RELEVANCE (See instmctions): The data and biostatistics core will be essenfial to achieving the primary goal of this Centre, to reduce morbidity associated with NTDs in the Americas. Proper stafisfical methods are crucial to answering any research quesfion. In order to create appropriate recommendations and therby decrease morbidity associated with STH infection, the research gaps addressed in the proposed projects need to be answered. The data oualtiv and statistical analvses are imijeritive tn nrnr^eriv inform rficf^mmenriatinn.